Page 43 of Zero Pucks

“Oh my God, I’m so…oh.” She stopped and backed up. “You’re joking.”

He heaved a dramatic sigh. “The truth is, I was born without eyes. No one’s ever told me if that was legal or illegal, but I get in trouble a lot, so I just assumed I’m not on the right side of the law. And I might not be able to see it, but I know for a fact my face is way too pretty for prison.”

She was dead silent.

Ford made a soft choking noise, and I stepped in. The server had been shamed enough. “Another water, please. And—” I turned to Amedeo. “Babe. You want something else to drink?”

He blinked. “Me? I’m babe?”

“You’re babe,” I said with a tiny smile.

His mouth twitched. “Oh. Uh…Diet Coke?”

I smiled at the server. “He’d like a Diet Coke. Extra crispy.”

She looked like she wanted to give her table away, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Without another word, she walked off, and when another beat of silence passed, Jonah settled into his chair.

“So,” he said, clasping his hands, “now that we’re done with the theatrics, tell me—who are you, and why did you decide to stalk my best friend?”

* * *

After Ford threatened to fist-fight Jonah for having the nerve to call himself my best friend, and afterIthreatened to fight him for calling Amedeo a stalker,andafter a new server returned with a Diet Coke filled to the brim with that good crunchy ice, we finally ordered.

Amedeo got a cup of soup with a side of baguette, which had me worried. Now that he was right up beside me, I could see he was pale, and when he lifted his hand to grab his glass, I noticed he was shaking.

Ford shot me a knowing look, but I wasn’t going to talk about any of this shit in front of Jonah. He was one of my best friends, but he was also a bigger gossip than Ford.

“So. Since we’re not going to talk about the elephant in the room,” Jonah said over the calamari that had finally been delivered, “let’s get back to coaching.”

“Ooh, are we talking shit about the new guy?” Ford asked.

Jonah’s brows shot up. “New guy? Oh wait, your guy? With the hot French accent?”

“Don’t ever let Bodie hear you say that,” Ford warned.

He scoffed. “Bodie doesn’t scare me. He needs to dislodge the stick from his ass and give the dude a chance. But no. This isn’t about him. I’m actually trying to recruit Tucker.”

Ford looked horrified. “Fuck you, dude. He’sours.”

“Not to play. To coach. Reid and Sarah are moving, and everyone who’s applied so far sucks ass,” Jonah whined. He fell over and dropped his head to Ford’s shoulder. “Tucker’s the only one who can do this.”

“Justhim? What am I? Chopped liver?”

“You have too many eyes,” Jonah muttered. “Please, Tuck. I’ll give you a hundred blowjobs a month!” Amedeo choked, and Jonah immediately turned red. “Oh shit. I’m so, so fucking sorry. I forgot you were there. You’re so quiet. That’s really annoying, by the way.”

“I’m sorry,” Amedeo said and sounded like he meant it.

“Stop being mean to him!” I demanded.

Amedeo cleared his throat and stood up. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”

“I’ll come with.” I shot up, using the table to steady myself. I needed to fix this before he panicked and ran. Jonah was just being himself, but Amedeo hadn’t been given the crash course in the Adams brothers’ bullshittery.

“Um.” Amedeo hesitated. “I promise I don’t need help.”

“Yeah, no. You look like you do, so don’t argue,” I insisted and grabbed his elbow. “Help me through the room so I don’t fall on my ass.”

He seemed entirely confused, but he still let me hold his arm until we got into the bathroom, which was bright enough for me to see all of him. He hovered near the urinals, but he didn’t move to unzip.

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